Jacob Herr

The War of 1812 (lasting from June of 1812 to February of 1815) was a conflict which acted as a “Second War of Independence” to signify the lasting power of this upstart constitutional republic known as the United States, and the last war which the US would engage with the military power of Great Britain. Yet, it is also a war for which little of it is remembered by modern generations of Americans or even people who live across the pond. To many Britons, 1812 was the year of Napoleon’s failed Russia Campaign. Though the war is still remembered by many native tribes and Canadians. To them, this war was their chance to walk into the spotlight and defend their own versions of freedom, liberty, and sovereignty; even if their efforts would result in accidental victory or honorable defeat. Yet, people still wonder how this atmosphere of nationalistic violence came to be. What were the events which transpired that caused the final war between the US and Great Britain? Who were the figures who stirred the political pot too fast or two hard, until the hot water spilled all over the place? This essay seeks to answer such questions and observes the positions of all sides who would find themselves at each other’s throats with muskets, swords, cannons, and scalping knives.

People say that the works of William Shakespeare are analyses and reflections of our human condition; whether of the story is about doomed love, political ambition turned to bloodshed, or situational humor which turned the simplistic things of life into the funniest of material. Yet, very rarely can people see such reflections of life in Shakespeare, which can also be made in real history. After all, Shakespeare himself was not a historian. He was a starving playwright who wrote propaganda pieces to entertain and (partially) educate the plebeians and royals of Elizabethan England. However, such characters such as Richard III, Marc Antony, and Prince Hal (King Henry V) can be reflected in terms of their styles of personality and leader ship in numerous figures throughout our history, whether if such people brandished a sword and crown or a cigar and glass of whiskey. The purpose of this essay is to examine how the leadership theory of how leaders are made, not born, can be seen in the works of British literature (The Henriad: Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2, & Henry V) and can also transcend into real figures of England’s history (Sir. Winston Churchill).

First off, the name is pronounced Nietzsche (as in “KNEE-CHA”); not “NITCH”, or “NEETCH”, or “KNEE-CHEE”. However, the pronunciation of this 19th Century German philosopher’s name doesn’t change the fact that he is one of the most referenced philosophers in pop culture. Such references range from the opening of the 1982 fantasy film Conan the Barbarian with his famous quote “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.”, to the Black Sabbath 2013 song God is Dead?. For those who know nothing of the man, Frederich Nietzsche was a philosopher who wrote and lectured in the latter half of the 1800’s, donned a walrus mustache, and believed that everything in this life is meaningless. In order to give meaning to life, we must overpower everyone else and obtain our wants and desires. To do so, makes you an “übermensch” (or superman).

His name is one that brings memories of a mad genius; a cinema auteur with balls of steel. He was a man who would redefine the Western genre and horrifically expose the true nature of inhumanity and violence, that the old school studios and television audiences took for granted; while at the same time, serving as the ground work for the newest generations of directors and Hollywood rebels. This is the story of Sam Peckinpah.

He emerged out of nowhere and became the face of Hollywood’s golden age. On camera, he was the ultimate swashbuckler and rogue lover; yet beyond the silver screen, Errol Flynn couldn't be any different from what audiences thought he was. For he had an extreme lust for life, was married three times, had numerous love affairs, spent money like it grew on trees, sailed entire oceans, wrote about his involvement in international wars and revolutions, and died penniless. Even today, he is still debated, whether or not he was a human embodiment of alpha male masculinity or a drunken womanizer who used the American studio system as a tool to get what he desired. A saint or a sinner. Yet all can agree that he was fact, not fiction.